Ellsworth B. Buck | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York | |
| In office June 6, 1944 – January 3, 1949 | |
| Preceded by | James A. O'Leary |
| Succeeded by | James J. Murphy |
| Constituency | 11th district (1944–45) 16th district (1945–49) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ellsworth Brewer Buck (1892-07-03)July 3, 1892 |
| Died | August 14, 1970(1970-08-14) (aged 78) |
| Resting place | Thunder Mountain Ranch Cemetery |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Constance Tyler |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College |
Ellsworth Brewer Buck (July 3, 1892 – August 14, 1970) was an American businessman and educator who served three terms as aRepublican member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromNew York during the 1940s.
Buck was born inChicago, Illinois[1] and attendedMorgan Park Academy. He graduated fromDartmouth College in 1914[2] and enlisted in theUnited States Naval Reserve in 1917.[3] He became a meteorology instructor following his training at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology.
He moved toStaten Island in 1919 where he served as chairman of the board of L.A. Dreyfus Co. (before that chewing gum company moved toEdison, New Jersey and was subsequently purchased byWrigley)[4] Buck served as chairman of the Chewing Gum Code Authority from 1934 to 1935[5] and became a member of theNew York City Board of Education in 1935. He was vice president of theNew York City Board of Education from 1938 until 1942, and president from 1942 until 1944.[6]
Buck was elected to Congress in 1944 to fill the vacancy caused by the death ofJames A. O'Leary. He served from June 6, 1944 until January 3, 1949, serving in theSeventy-eighth United States Congress,Seventy-ninth United States Congress andEightieth United States Congress. While in Congress, Buck strongly backed theTaft-Hartley Act, opposed by organized labor; and voted in favor of a proposal to ban thepoll tax, a device which kept southern blacks from voting. He did not run for reelection in 1948. Also, while representingStaten Island, he was an opponent of the establishment of theFresh Kills Landfill.[7]
On April 5, 1949, months following his retirement from Congress, Buck was shot and seriously wounded by a gunman while crossing the street on Stuyvesant Place outsideStaten Island Borough Hall. The assailant, Charles Van Newkirk, was a dismissedMerchant Marine engineer who was disgruntled after Buck, as chairman of aHouse Education and Labor subcommittee, denied his appeal to regain his position.[8]
Following his recovery, Buck served as a delegate to the1952 Republican National Convention. He was director of the Office of Trade Investment and Monetary Affairs in 1954, and was public advisor of the United States delegation to theUnited Nations Economic and Social Council inGeneva, Switzerland in 1955.
Buck died at his home inStephenson, Wisconsin in 1970 and was cremated. His ashes were placed in Thunder Mountain Ranch Cemetery.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 11th congressional district 1944–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 16th congressional district 1945–1949 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
